This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Effective use of a given elastomer can depend on one or more properties of the elastomer and the capability to measure or quantify such properties. One property of interest is the elastomer's intrinsic strength, also referred to as the fatigue endurance limit. The intrinsic strength marks a limit below which cyclic loads may be endured by the elastomer indefinitely without incurring damage.
Determination of intrinsic strength can be important in maximizing durability and avoiding failure of the elastomer for a given application. Although intrinsic strength has been studied for decades by researchers interested in fatigue performance, measuring it has previously required either exceptionally long testing periods (months via a direct method of observation), or the use of inconvenient and potentially unsafe solvents (via an indirect method that involves swelling the elastomer and possibly changing the properties of interest).
There is a continuing need for an instrument and method for measuring the intrinsic strength of polymeric materials via cutting. Desirably, the instrument and method is efficient and does not require the use of solvents or swelling of the polymeric materials being tested.